Dubai 75th best city to live in – Mercer study

Dubai has secured the regional top spot in the Quality of Living 2010 rankings from consulting firm Mercer, placed at number 75 in the list of 221 global cities – up from 77 in 2009.

Abu Dhabi was not far behind (83). Muscat was the only other GCC city in the top 100 (100).

Doha came in at 110 and Manana 111, respectively. Kuwait scored 122, Riyadh 158 and Jeddah 159.

Mercer says it conducts the rankings to help governments and multi-national corporations compensate employees when placing them on international assignments. The survey considers aspects such as political and economic stability, and socio-cultural environment.

“The Abu Dhabi and Dubai governments have invested a lot of time and money to improve the quality of living in both cities and it’s only natural that they harvest the fruits of their hard work,” said Bassam Gazal who heads Mercer’s survey practice across the Middle East.

The ranking also identified the cities with the best “eco-ranking.” This was calculated based on water availability and drinkability, waste removal, quality of sewage systems, air pollution and traffic congestion. In the GCC, Muscat topped the league at 48. Dubai shared spot 65 with Abu Dhabi. Manama was number 80, Doha was 85, Kuwait City was 88, Riyadh was 114 and Jeddah was 130.

European cities dominate the top of the list, with Venice, Zurich and Geneva taking first, second and third places respectively.